A New Jersey trucking company has pleaded guilty to its role in a gambling and money laundering operation led by one of the mafia’s “five families.”
On Tuesday, June 23, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced that eight people and three companies had admitted to criminal activity related to the Lucchese crime family.
The defendants were among 42 people who have been indicted since the initial arrests in April 2025 following a two-year investigation into illegal gambling, loansharking, extortion and money laundering tied to the Lucchese crime family.
“The guilty pleas we accepted (Tuesday) represent another important step in dismantling this criminal enterprise and holding the individuals involved accountable,” Davenport said in a news release. “Organized crime has no place in New Jersey.”
A small trucking company based out of Cedar Grove, N.J., was one of the businesses that entered a guilty plea.
According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Frasso Trucking was a corporation used by Michael and Gerard Frasso to conceal gambling proceeds. The company pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy for anti-money laundering profiteering. The guilty plea comes with a $250,000 penalty. As of June 23, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website listed Frasso Trucking as an active carrier. The company has four power units with three out-of-service violations.
New Jersey authorities said the gambling operations included social clubs that housed live poker games and gambling machines, as well as an extensive online sportsbook operated through several websites based outside of the United States.
The leadership of the New Jersey-based faction of the Lucchese family allegedly oversaw the gambling activities and received a portion of the criminal proceeds. The investigation resulted in the identification of $4.79 million in suspected criminal proceeds. Members of the criminal enterprise used multiple shell corporations and legitimate businesses to conceal their illegal gambling proceeds.
George Zappola, Joseph R. Perna and John G. Perna pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering in exchange for recommended sentences of seven years in state prison. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office alleges that the three are members of the Lucchese crime family.
Other guilty pleas included:
- Wayne D. Cross, third-degree promoting gambling
- Michael P. Frasso, second-degree racketeering, third-degree failure to pay income tax and third-degree corporate misconduct
- Frank Imparato, third-degree conspiracy
- Joseph Gossweiler, third-degree conspiracy to promote gambling
- Pete Norcia, third-degree conspiracy to promote gambling
- Café Gio, second-degree conspiracy
- CJW Development and Consulting, second-degree conspiracy for anti-money laundering profiteering
Charges are still pending against seven remaining defendants. LL
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